Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Body Parts

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been
made to drink intoone Spirit.”—1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV)

My favorite commercial these days is for eye drops. The ad is
memorable, amusing, and absurd. It features two large eyeballs driving
around town. One eyeball is the “straight-laced guy” and the other is
the “funny guy” who cracks all the jokes. The “straight” eyeball is
driving, while the “funny” eyeball is in the passenger seat being
obnoxious; not wearing his seatbelt, messing with the dash and radio,
and yelling out of the windows. He’s being irritating. He’s an irritated
eyeball that needs eye drops.

Ridiculous! Eyeballs don’t drive. It takes a whole body to drive a
car. The body can’t drive without eyeballs and eyeballs can’t drive
without the rest of the body.

When Paul talks about the unifying work of the Holy Spirit, he uses
the human body as a word picture because each part of the body needs
every other part. It’s absurd to think that Jewish Christians can get
the job done without Greek Christians and that free Christians can get
their part done without working class Christians. It’s absurd to think
God would want to reach the world any other way, from Paul’s point of
view.

When Jesus finished His earthly ministry, the next phase of the
program was put in motion. “It is to your advantage that I go away; for
if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I
will send Him to you” (John 16:7 NKJV), Jesus said, telling His
disciples about the Holy Spirit. There was a phase of the gospel
spreading movement that would be handled by redeemed, transformed,
Spirit-filled people. Each Spirit-filled, Spirit-gifted person has a
special function and needs every other Spirit-filled person.

There are people in your life that you’re meant to do spiritual and
practical ministry with, but you’ve written them off for some reason. Or
you’ve been written off and are limping along comfortably in your
discomfort because it’s familiar.

Be reconciled to the person you think you can do without. There is
not one part of your own body that you would want to fall out or drop
off. You’re fooling yourself if you think you could function without
that body part. Don’t be one that writes people off. Be one who
reconciles. Pray now for wisdom, grace, and an extra measure of God’s
Spirit to do it well.